Don't Leave Me
by Sellybelly411
Summary: She never knew how much Chidi meant to her until she left. (Two-shot) - Sequel to "Don't Walk Away"
1. Part One

Part One

Chidi Anagonye was living a pretty good life if he did say so himself. It had been two years that he and his wife had been married, and they now had a beautiful baby girl. Phoenix Simone Anagonye had almost been put up for adoption, out of Eleanor Shellstrop-Anagonye's frantic worries if she would be a good parent. But after a conversation with her husband and Tahani Al- Jamil (her best friend), she had finally agreed to keep it.

"You're being ridiculous." The blonde said to him the next morning, taking a gentle sip of her coffee as she fed the baby with the other hand. He phone rested in between her cheek and her shoulder, "There's no reason to panic, babe. I'm sure everything is alright."

The blonde paused for a moment, "Are you _sure?"_ The shorter girl sighed and shook her head, "Fine, I'll be there. What time again? You know what, just text me the details and I'll leave as soon as I can. Is it alright if I bring Phini? I don't think I have time to call a sitter in such a short amount of time. Oh, awesome! Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." The call ended and she set her phone down next to her mug.

"Tahani?"

"Yep." Eleanor answered, "Apparently there's this big event and Kamilah is going to be there. I guess he doesn't want to go alone."

"I thought she and her sister worked everything out, though?"

"Maybe. But I don't think her parents know that." The blonde rolled her eyes, "And God forbid it sure would be _terrible_ if two sisters got along." She said sarcastically, "So I guess I'm there for support or something. To be there in case her parents or sister get out of line."

"...And you're bringing Phoenix with you?"

"Chill man, she'll be fine. I'm bringing my big tote and I'll be filling it with all her crap. Food, diapers, toys, all that shit. Which reminds me, I need her car seat. It's in your Handa, right?"

Chidi nodded and went to go grab it, clicking it in the backseat of Eleanor's own car. He came back in and smiled as he watched her packing everything up (even a first aid kit).

"And who said you wouldn't be a good Mom?" He quipped.

"Basically everybody." She said.

He laughed at his wife, "Well, I have to head off to work. I'll see you two when I get back, alright?" He kissed her goodbye and drove off in his own car. Eleanor swooped into action, getting dressed business-casual as quickly as she could. She carried Phoenix gently in her arms, strapping her into her carrier in the backseat.

Then she drove off.

She arrived at the Al-Jamil mansion in no less than 15 minutes. The family had rented it on HeirB&B, so it was much more convenient for the blonde. She picked up her baby's carrier and brought her inside, smiling at the sight of her best friend.

"So glad you could come, darling," Tahani said, kissing the blonde on both cheeks in the polite British way, "How is Phoenix?"

"Pretty good. Heads up though, I'll probably have to duck outta here if she gets too cranky. That's how you know she's tired. You don't mind, right?"

"Oh, no darling, not at all!" The taller girl brushed it off with a wave of her hand, "I completely understand."

A waiter walked towards the two offering champagne, and the blonde quickly picked up a champagne flute and swallowed it down quickly. She set it down on a nearby table, and then was soon greeted by the Al-Jamil parents.

"Eleanor!" They greeted, staring at her, "It's so nice to see you dressed so...nice."

"Yeah, sorry about that Manisha. I brought my baby with me tonight so I didn't want to wear anything too expensive."

The taller girl's Mother cringed at the use of her first name, "I haven't seen you since last year's gala. Tell me, is your boyfriend here with you today?"

"He is my husband." The blonde reminded her, as she had had to do on many occasions. It seemed every time that she ever had an encounter with Tahani's parents they always forgot that she was a married woman, "And no, he is working today. Chidi is a Professor at a nearby University and is very sorry that he could not make it."

"Mm."

"Waqus, how have you been?" Eleanor asked, "How is your business going? You were braggi- telling me about it the last time we saw each other, how's it going for you now?"

The older man's eyes sparkled, "Oh, quite well. Thank you, Ms. Eleanor. We actually opened offices down in New York. Everything is going very smoothly if I do say so myself."

"Well, that's awesome! Congrats, Waqus." She gave him a thumbs up and got a withering stare from his wife.

"Darling, why don't we go elsewhere...?" His wife suggested, "Eleanor has better things to do. Taking care of her child, for example."

"Phoenix is fine." The blonde said, "Besides, I have everything I need for her in my bag. What have you been up to, Manisha?"

The older woman sighed, "Oh, just working on some new charity buildings. None that you would have heard of."

"Try me."

The older woman sighed and began to explain. Eleanor was confused for a bit until she heard an all too familiar name, "Oh! No way, I know that place! Their thing is helping kids get out of bad homes, right?"

Manisha leaned back in shock, "Y- Yes… That would be it."

"Well, congratulations on that!" She smiled at the baffled Mother, then looked down at her watch.

"I have to go feed Phini. Nice seeing you guys!" She shook each of their hands before grabbing her baby's carrier and walking towards the bathroom. Tahani was flabbergasted as she followed her best friend into the restroom, "What in the world was _that?"_

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked as she lifted her shirt and began to breastfeed her child (she would have given Phoenix her baby food, but there was no place for the baby to sit). Cradling the baby, the shorter girl turned around and faced Tahani.

"That whole conversation with my parents! You were being very kind and respectful, which is very uncharacteristic of you, Eleanor."

"Oh, _that."_ The blonde sighed, "I've been the pretend girlfriend for many different guys. So, I've kind of got the fake 'perfect' thing going for me." She explained.

"I see." The brunette nodded, "Well it was very convincing, well done." She bit her lip, "Did you see my Mother's face at the end?"

"I know right? She was like, so surprised." The blonde laughed, pausing when her phone rang. Cradling her baby with one arm, she clicked answer, "Hey, nerd." She nodded in all the right placed, "Is it really that late? Oh, fuck. I'll come home right now."

"Is there a problem?"

"No, it's just Chidi came home and reminded me it was Phini's bedtime. I lost track of time, I guess."

The woman nodded in understanding, "Very well then, thank you for having my back here, darling."

"No prob, hot stuff." Eleanor placed her daughter right back into her carrier, hugging Tahani goodbye on her way out of the bathroom. She was almost at the door when Manisha and Waqus cornered her, "Leaving already?" The older woman asked, seeming all too happy.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Not enjoying yourself? I know people of your...class would have issues appreciating one of these grand events."

"With all due respect, Manisha, that is not the case. It is my daughter's bedtime, and when she misses her window, she gets a bit cranky."

The older woman pursed her lips, "I see."

"It was awesome seeing you, Waqus." The blonde said, offering her hand for a shake. He smiled at her and shook it.

Manisha waited for her goodbye, but instead, Eleanor turned around and walked away.

The blonde reached her house in record time, kissing her husband hello when she walked into the room.

"Sorry." She apologized quickly, "Lost track of time. Tahani's parents can be real assholes, y'know? Oh, and get this- they still think that I'm not married. Like, can't you see the fucking ring on my fucking finger? Fuck you, Manisha."

He chuckled and helped his wife with the carrier, taking his daughter out and taking the 1-year-old to her crib. Eleanor sighed in exhaustion, "Man, I am beat." She confessed, kissing him on the cheek before heading off to change.

The Professor sighed and went to change himself. His wife had made so much progress ever since they met that one day. He loved her so much, though often found himself worried what would happen if bad things began to escalate. Had marrying her been the right decision? They were living an awesome life, for sure, but what would happen if they had issues? How would that affect Phoenix?

He tucked himself under the bed and sighed. He hated the thoughts running through his mind.

"You don't want to be married to me?" A voice squeaked.

 _Shit._

It was Eleanor.

And apparently, he had been talking out loud.


	2. Part Two

Part Two

" _You give me deja vu_

 _Like l've been waiting my whole life to find that view_

 _Cause when I'm lookin at your eyes_

 _I go from California to Timbuktu_

 _Back to dancing in the living room_

 _If I got you, baby everyday's a honeymoon."_

 _-Honeymoon (Johnny Stimson)_

"Eleanor…" Chidi said, staring at his crying wife. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she reeled away.

Her eyes were red and puffy, and she kept hiccupping through her endless tears. He hadn't seen her act like this in a total of four years.

He took a seat down next to her, only to be shoved off. Yeah, he should've seen that coming. Eleanor could be quite scary when she was in a mood like this.

"Chidi!" She shouted, "Why the fuck would you say things like that? Do you not love me? What a stupid question, of course you don't love me!" She grabbed her jacket, "It's just as I thought, nobody will ever be able to love me."

"Eleanor please, that's not true!"

"Really? That's not true? I just heard you say that you wished you had never married me! Chidi, I never thought I'd marry anyone. So here I am, with you, and now you don't want to be with me?" Her eyes were getting redder by the minute and she began crying again.

"Please, it's not what you thin—"

"You know what the worst part is? I still love you. But I can't be with someone who doesn't love me." She threw on her jacket and stared at him, "I'm staying at Tahani's for the night. Goodbye, Chidi."

She picked up her purse and kissed her daughter goodbye, smiling down at the baby's cute face.

The shorter girl grabbed her purse and left the building, glaring at her husband one final time before leaving the house.

"Eleanor!" He shouted before the door was slammed in his face. He slid down the door and started to cry himself. How could he be so stupid? How could he even think something like that? He loved his wife, no questions asked.

Yet his indecisiveness had yet again cost him happiness. He heard a loud whine coming from the big bedroom and picked up Phoneix, "It's okay." He soothed, "Daddy's got you." He cradled the young child closely, thoughts drifting back to his wife.

" _Hi, my name's Eleanor Shellstrop, can we talk?"_

He had been hooked on her ever since the beginning, he had loved her from the very start. It had just taken him too long to realize it.

And now he was left alone.

Eleanor was standing outside Tahani's mansion, completely broken. When the door opened, the first thing the blonde did was throw herself into her best friend's arms. Shocked, the young woman helped the shorter girl inside and sat her down on her bed. She had taken a ca here, out of laziness and not wanting random strangers on the highway to see her crying in her car.

("But what about the driver?") Tahani had asked, only to get a simple shrug from her best friend.

"Darling, what is wrong?" She finally asked, wrapping her arms around the crying girl and hugging her closely. No matter how hard Eleanor tried to form words, she couldn't seem to find the right ones. It took hours until she had finally calmed down for her to explain her situation to her situation to her best friend.

"Are you sure you heard him right?" The brunette asked, shocked, "That doesn't seem like Chidi at all."

"I heard him say it though." She hiccupped, "I heard him asking himself if marrying me was the right decision." She began to cry hard again, and Tahani quickly handed her a box of tissues. The blonde was now lying in the taller woman's lap, curled into a tight ball.

"Looks like I was right." She sniffled, "I am incapable of being loved by anyone."

"How ridiculou—" She forced the girl off her lap and into a sitting position, "Look at me." She ordered, the stubborn girl refusing to do so.

"Look at me, Eleanor." She said, forcing the girl's head to face her, "That cannot be possible. Of course you are capable of being loved by others. Just look at me, you're my best friend and _I_ love you."

"That's not what I mean, Tahani."

"I know." The taller girl got up, "I'll go fetch you a blanket and a pillow."

"Oh, I was just planning on spending the night at a motel. You don't have to—"

"Nonsense! You get comfortable, and I shall be right back. There is no way I am letting you go anywhere by yourself tonight."

The blonde sighed in defeat. She kicked off her shoes and plopped down on Tahani's massive bed. She wasn't planning on falling asleep, but the silky texture just coaxed her.

The brunette walked back in holding a pillow and a blanket, as promised. She was going to announce that the guest room had been made up, but she figured she should let the girl rest.

She pulled the quilt over the small girl and gently unmade the bed. A tiny yawn escaped the blonde's mouth as she rolled onto her side.

She was such a different person when she was asleep. Way less mouthy, for sure.

Both girls slept peacefully that night.

Eleanor didn't wake up until twelve in the afternoon. She would have slept _longer_ , but she was rudely interrupted by a hard knocking at the front door.

She slipped out of bed, hair messy and still wearing her clothes from yesterday. Tahani arrived at the door at the same moment, already dressed for the day.

"Whosit?" The shorter girl asked sleepily, letting out a loud yawn. The brunette opened the door, and Eleanor stepped back in shock when she saw Chidi standing outside with a bouquet of Forget-Me-Nots and a hopeful look on his face.

Before she could say anything, Tahani stepped forward, "What do you think you are doing here?"

"I came to get my wife." He answered, "Eleanor, please. Just come home." He pleaded, holding out the flowers for her to take.

"She's not going anywhere with you."

"Tahani, let me handle this." The blonde stepped forward and glared down at him, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"B-But...I just said that."

"Fuck off, Tahani." She said rudely, "Chidi, why the hell do you want me home? You said it yourself that marrying me was a mistake. Just admit it."

"No, that's not...it's not what I meant! I love you, Eleanor!" He shouted, "I was just scared."

"Of what?"

"Of the future. I can't help but think about the possibilities of our future together. What if things don't work out between us? I was just scared of losing you, Eleanor. I was worried that my proposal was a mistake because there was always the possibility that in the future, you wouldn't want to be with me anymore."

"What are you, a fucking moron?" She shouted, "Why would you ever think that?" She walked forward, but her best friend blocked her path.

"You are seriously going to forgive him? Just like that?"

"I don't get what the problem is." The blonde said with a shrug, "He apologized, we're all good here. Right, chief? We good?"

He nodded and pulled her into a hug, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Thanks, babe." Eleanor said to Tahani, "You really are the best."

"Yes, I am, aren't I?"

The shorter girl just rolled her eyes and bumped her best friend gently on the shoulder, before grabbing her own purse and leaving the mansion with her husband.

"You could have told me, you know."

"Yeah." Chidi nodded, "But I have a feeling we would've gotten to the same issue. You do interrupt people a lot, you know."

"Yeah, whatever, you love it."

He smiled and pulled her closer, "I do."

"Wait, who's watching Phoenix?" Eleanor asked suddenly, "Don't tell me she's home alone?"

He faked a shocked look, "I can't believe I forgot!"

"Okay, so first you break my fucking heart then you leave the baby alone? What kind of man does that shit?" She paused, "Well, my Dad would do that, but that's beside the point!"

"Eleanor, calm down I'm just kidding. She's in the backseat." He motioned to his car, which had its windows rolled down halfway. The blonde placed a hand over her heart and blew out a deep breath.

"You big _dummy!"_ The short girl pushed past him and entered the unlocked car. Her husband chuckled to himself then took to the driver seat.

"Phini, there's one lesson that I need to teach you." She glared at her husband, "Daddy is a fucking idiot, so don't ever listen to him."

The baby cooed in amusement, her blue eyes sparkling with the love, "Idiot." She said, "Idiot."

"That's right, baby." The blonde said, "Your Dad's an idiot."

"Seriously, Eleanor?" The Professor said in shock, "Phoenix just said her first word! Shouldn't you be more excited about this? Even if her first word is 'idiot' I think you should be more parental about this."

"Eh, I'll leave that part up to you." She shrugged, "What's the big deal? It's not like its new thing suddenly introduced to the world. People talk, bud."

Though he couldn't help but notice a certain sparkle in her blue eyes, and he knew she was lying.

"Whatever you say." He teased.

The blonde carried their child inside the house, kissing her husband on the lips as she tucked her baby girl into her crib.

Eleanor tucked herself into bed alongside her husband, snuggling close to his side. She could feel his chest rising and falling underneath her head, and it was strangely calming.

"I love you, you big goofball." She said, taking his arm and nuzzling her head against his shoulder, "Don't ever leave me."

"Never." Chidi said, kissing his wife on the lips, "I promise."

The End

 **A/N:** What do we think? I couldn't see Eleanor calling Chidi "babe" or any of those cliché nicknames (though she does use babe on Tahani, obviously). Anyway, hope you liked it! Probably won't be a third one, but who knows? Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Sellybelly411


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